If you want to see what work is being done on the Ypsilanti Freighthouse, don’t look at the building itself. You have to go behind the scenes.
The Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse have structural and exterior/interior architectural renderings in hand. The mechanical and electrical systems drawings will be ready soon, too. It’s all set up for the state and Ypsilanti Historic Commission to sign off by the end of the month.
"Since everything that the original Condition Assessment Report called for has been addressed, we do not anticipate any technical hiccups," says Ed Penet, trustee of the Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse.
That means a construction bid should go out this fall and shovels go into the ground by winter. The freighthouse, located in Depot Town, is set to become Ypsilanti's stop on the Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter rail line next year. It will also serve as a tourism information and community gathering space.
Making all of this possible are the dogged efforts of the Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse. They had been collecting small and in-kind donations for years before locking down $600,000 in grants, including $500,000 in federal stimulus money, earlier this year.
The 130-year-old Freighthouse closed in 2004 due to a couple of significant-but-not-insurmountable issues, such as a bowing west wall and deck filled with unsafe trip hazards. The friends group recently had the surrounding grounds regraded so water will be directed away from the building's base.
The 5,000-square-foot, red-brick structure was used as a freighthouse until right after World War II, when it was converted into a warehouse. In 1979 the city bought it and turned it into a community center. It made the state Register of Historic Places in 1997.
The Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse will host a celebration of the freighthouse's new raingarden at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. There will also be a Jazz Happy Hour Fundraiser at the freighthouse from 5-9 p.m. Friday. For information, contact Denise Slone at dslone54@hotmail.com
Source: Ed Penet, trustee of the Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse
Writer: Jon Zemke
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